The Fallen Prince
by Ashton Li
Summary: Ryoma just couldn't wake up this morning. Being late, he rushes to the school. Seigaku receives a phone call during practice; one of their members was struck by a car. Shaken and scared, practice ends as the Seigaku Regulars rush to see him. completed
1. Chapter 1

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NOTE:

** This fanfic was inspired by Yanagi Kotaro who was the first Echizen Ryoma in Tenimyu (The Prince of Tennis musicals). I'm not going to go all into that, but if you've watched Tenimyu and know who Yanagi-kun is, you'll probably be able to figure out how this fic was inspired by him.**

**With this fic, I'm trying my hardest to keep each character true to their personalities. It's probably going to be a little hard for me due to the type of story this is going to be.**

**Seeming that this is only the first chapter, it hasn't gotten too far into how this will really turn out. If there does end up being a pairing, it'll be FujiXEchizen. I'm unsure if their relationship will develop father than friendship. We'll just have to see how it goes as the fic continues.**

**Well, I don't own the Prince of Tennis or anything like that.**

**Please, enjoy this fic. Oh, and, again, ignore my poor choice of titles. It probably doesn't fit very well. I'm sorry.**

_**EDIT:**__** Chapter 1 through 5 have all be revised. Now that I'm finished with that. I will continue to update this fic with new chapters. I hope everyone will enjoy the changes I made to make this fic slightly better.**_

**The Fallen Prince**

_Will you be there when I wake up from this date like state? Will you cry if I were to die tomorrow? Only time will tell if your love can save me…_

Echizen Ryoma had overslept this morning making him late to tennis practice. Rushing to get to his school, he hadn't noticed a car speeding down the road he was about to cross. Not looking, he quickly made his way across the street. Before making it to the other side, a white cap flew into the air as the young boy was struck by the car. His scream could have been heard across town. His greenish blue hair was tangles and the deep color of blood began to stain the jacket her wore. A man ran out of the car yelling for someone to call an ambulance. Looking at the boy on the ground, he noticed that he was already unconscious.

* * *

Tezuka Kunimitsu yelled for all the members of the tennis club to gather. He always had a solemn look, but this time it was different. His look made the Regulars know that something had happened; something was wrong.

"A phone call was received from the nearby hospital," Tezuka began to speak. "A boy with a Seigaku Regular jacket was struck by a car and rushed to the hospital."

Kikumaru Eiji looked around. His cheerful face quickly showed his shock when he noticed that the youngest Regular was no where in sight. "Ochibi!"

"Ryuzaki-sensei has already contacted Echizen's family."

Fuji Syusuke couldn't bear to listen to anymore that the captain had to say. Dropping the tennis racket he held in his hand, he ran out of the tennis court area and in the direction of the hospital.

"Fuji!" Tezuka tried to call for him, but the tennis genius was already gone.

"Tezuka," Oishi Shuichiro walked up slowly to him. "I think it's best that we end practice now. This kind of news has shaken everyone up." His voice was shaken. Even the vice-captain was worried about Echizen.

"Right," the captain looked around at the other players. Not wanting to show that he was overly worries, Tezuka gave a stern look and spoke again. "Go change."

In the clubhouse, there was small chatter about Echizen. There were so many questions to ask but no answers.

"What do you think happened?" Kawamura Takashi asked.

Inui Sadaharu pulled out his green notebook and started to write things down. "The possibility he will only have minor wounds, 3.8 percent."

"Inui…I don't think that's something we should talk about," Oishi's face showed his worry. This wasn't the right time for Inui to be showing off his data.

"Lets just hope he's ok," Kawamura agreed as they left the clubhouse.

* * *

Fuji had finally reached the hospital. His light brown hair was tossed around, and his usually closed eyes were open. He seemed almost in a panic which wasn't very like him. Walking in, he went to ask for Echizen's room. As he stepped up to the desk, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Quickly, he turned around to see an older man.

"You here to see Ryoma?" the man asked.

"How did you know?" Fuji questioned.

"Your jacket gave it away," he looked away. "He's in a coma."

The bright blue eyes of Fuji were pierced with shocked. "What?"

"When he was hit by the car, he wasn't able to react on time, so Ryoma's head smacked into the ground."

"…Echizen…"

"He's a strong kid. I'm sure he'll wake up soon. What's your name?"

"Fuji Syusuke."

"Fuji, why don't you go visit him? I'm sure the kid would like someone other than me visiting him. He's in room 10."

"Thank you…um…" Fuji paused. He was unsure of what to call the man standing in front of him.

"Echizen Nanjiro."

"Echizen-san, thank you," Fuji bowed and walked off in the direction of Ryoma's room.

"So…that's the guy Ryoma's always talking about. My boy does have one caring upperclassman."

* * *

Eiji stood outside of the school's gate. He looked to the sky. "Do you think Fuji went to see Ochibi?" His sapphire eyes seemed to be searching the clouds for the answer.

"That seems like the best possibility," Oishi nodded.

Momoshiro Takeshi walked up to the two older boys. "Are you going to come?"

"Come?" Eiji questioned as he looked at the younger boy.

"We're going to go visit Echizen. It would be nice to go as a team," Inui explained.

"Yeah," sadness fell upon Eiji's face. "I hope Ochibi is ok."

The Regulars gathered at the school's gate. Almost all of the players had sad or worried faces. After everyone was there, they made their way to the hospital.

* * *

Fuji slid open the door and made his way into the smal room. Looking around, he saw Ryoma's white cap on the floor. It was dirty from being tossed onto the ground. Continuing around the room, Fuji spotted the Seigaku's jacket hanging. It was stained with blood. Finally, he turned his head to Ryoma. The younger boy was covered in bandaged and hooked up to different machines.

"…Echizen Ryoma…" Fuji whispered as he sat on the chair by his bedside. His tone was soft and caring. "I―"

The door opened once again. Fuji turned to see the other members of the tennis team looking in the room.

"Ochibi…he's…" the shock of seeing Echizen lying there made Eiji lose his words.

"In a coma," Fuji stood up.

Momo placed the flowers the team had bought on the table next to Ryoma's bedside. Silence filled each of the teens, and the only sound that could be heard was the beeping from the machines Ryoma was hooked up to.

"He looks different…lying there so still," Oishi comment. "Wake up soon, Echizen."

"Seigaku needs you, Echizen," Tezuka nodded and hoped everyone's words of encouragement would wake up the young boy.

A young nurse walked into the room. "Excuse me, I have to ask that you leave. We need to run a few tests on Echizen-san."

"Right," the captain motioned for the team to leave.

As Fuji left the room, he turned back and whispered his own words of encouragement. "Wake up for me, Echizen…"


	2. Chapter 2

Fuji made his way out of the hospital. Looking around the waiting room then the lobby, he didn't see the other tennis players. It seemed that the others had already left. Slowly, he made his way outside and sighed.

"Fuji!" Eiji called as he caught sight of his friend.

"Eiji, what are you still doing here?" Fuji made his way to the boy.

"Ochibi…he'll be ok," he smiled. "He has to be!"

"…Eiji…"

"I know that you're hurt the most about this. Fuji, you really care about Ochibi. Continue to visit and watch over him. I think that's what Ochibi would want."

"It's scary, don't you think, Eiji?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

The older boy began to walk away from the hospital. His pace was slower than normal. "Echizen is in a coma. Even if he does wake up, there is the possibility that he won't be able to function right. He might not be able to play tennis, he might lose his memories of us, he might die…"

Eiji was shocked by his friend's words. He pulled Fuji's shirt to make him stop. "Don't think like that, Fuji! If you think negatively, of course there won't be a positive outcome. You have to be strong for Ochibi's sake."

"I'll go visit him tomorrow to see how he's doing," Fuji looked up to the sky as the breeze pulled at his hair. "I hope he wakes up soon."

* * *

The nurse that was in Echizen Ryoma's room walked out to the waiting room. Pulling her fingers through her hair, she looked around. In the corner of the room she spotted his father and walked over to him.

"Excuse me," a sad smile formed on her face.

"Yes?" Nanjiro looked down at her.

"Echizen-san will be moved into the intensive care unit. We will give him the best care we can."

"Thank you," the tone in his voice was different than normal. It was a little shaky showing that he was worried about what could happen to his son.

* * *

_Seigaku's tennis team joined around one court. They stared at their captain waiting to hear what he had to say._

_"It was announced this morning that Echizen Ryoma died while in a coma," Tezuka announced to the tennis team. His expression made it seem like he didn't even care about the death of his teammate._

_"Echizen!" Fuji's cry rang through the air. It was easy to tell that he was trying to hold back his tears._

_Eiji turned to his friend. There was a sour attitude to his voice that wasn't like him. "You knew there was the chance that he wouldn't make it, Fuji. You said it yourself. You'll just have to learn to deal with his death."_

_"But…I never got the chance to ask him if it was ok if I called him by his first name…I'll never hear him call me senpai again. I wanted him to call me by Syusuke at least once. H…he was so young…" Fuji felt helpless. He didn't want to believe that the thing Tezuka and Fuji were saying was the truth._

_"It couldn't of been helped. I guess Ochibi wasn't strong enough to fight through and wake up from it all. Too bad…"_

"Ryoma―!" Fuji yelled as he woke up from his nightmare in a cold sweat. He gasped for air from the fright he received from it. "Just a dream…"

Looking around, he stared at his clock. It showed that it was already noon. Standing up, he struggled to make it to his dresser. His tossing and turning prevented him from a good night's sleep, and when he finally did manage to drift off, his slumber was ruined by the death of Ryoma in his dream.

Shaking his head, Fuji tried to forget about the dream. "I'll go visit him today…"

* * *

"Echizen Ryoma?" an older woman typed on the computer behind a desk. "He's been moved into the intensive care unit."

"I can still see him, right?" Fuji wondered. He didn't know what he would do if he couldn't see Echizen.

The woman stood up. "Of course. Please, follow me." She slowly walked in the direction of Ryoma's new room. Quickly, Fuji followed closely behind.

Walking into the room, Fuji noticed that Ryoma still looked lifeless. The flowers the others brought were now in a vase. Continuing to look, he didn't spot Ryoma's hat or Regular's jacket. His father must have taken them home.

"Echizen," Fuji knew that the younger boy couldn't hear him, but he continued anyways. There were just some things Fuji needed to say. "I never thought that you'd be in this kind of position. Maybe I was being childish when I thought that you would stay with me forever if I asked you to. I don't know what to think right now. I'm scared…I'm scared that you might not come out of this alive. I'm worried…because if you do survive, there's a chance you won't have the ability to play tennis. That was the only thing that kept us close. It was the only thing that let me watch you." Slowly, Fuji moved in closer to Ryoma. "I know that I didn't ask, but while we're alone like this, I'm going to call you Ryoma. Also, I would like one other thing…" As the upperclassman leaned forward, his lips almost made contact with the younger boy's. Though, before he had the chance, he pulled away in fear and ran out the room yelling for the doctor. Ryoma wasn't breathing.

As two doctors and a nurse walked in, Fuji just watched as Echizen was hooked up to a ventilator. The normally calm and smiling tennis genius was losing his poise. Not being able to bear the sight of the almost lifeless Ryoma, he turned away from the room and left before he broke down.

Not knowing where he was going, Fuji wandered around. Somehow, he managed to make it to the school. Today was Sunday, so there was no school. It was abandoned. He stumbled his way to the tennis courts. The memory of his practice match against Echizen flashed in his head. The persistence Ryoma had that day was one of the many things Fuji liked about the boy. There were feelings that were bubbling inside of him. He was trying to sort them all out, but it was hard for him. He cared about Ryoma because he was a fellow member of the tennis team. He was worried about Ryoma because he was his friend. He couldn't help but want to cry when thinking about the possibility that Ryoma could die. This was because he knew his feelings towards Ryoma were stronger than friendship.

"…Ryoma…" Fuji mumbled and shook his head. "Tomorrow, I'll do my best to not leave your side." With that said, he stumbled away from the tennis courts and made his way home.

**NOTE:**** Due to my love for this story, chapters should come rather fast. I'm working hard to make this the best I can. I'm sorry about Fuji. I just can't perfect his personality. I'll try harder though. Also, because I'm really focusing on this fic and nothing else, it should be finished rather quickly. It really depends on how long I want this to be. You'll just have to wait and see~!**


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was hard for all of those on Seigaku's tennis team. Dragging themselves through the day, it was easy to notice a lot of them were faking smiles. Even Eiji was found it hard to be cheerful. It just wasn't the same without Echizen. Knowing it was going to be a tough day, they still decided to have tennis practice. Arriving outside to the tennis courts, the Regulars noticed that there were other teenagers on their courts.

"Who are they?" Eiji questioned as he walked with Fuji. His curiosity made him pick up his pace.

"It looks like members from the tennis teams of the other schools," Momo pointed out. "I could recognize Fudomine's outfits a mile away."

"What are they doing here?" Oishi wondered. It was odd for the vice-captain to not know what was going on.

"They probably heard about Echizen," Inui looked towards the courts. "Just because they're rival schools doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Everyone gathered by Tezuka who seemed to have something to tell them. He stopped talking to the plaers from the other schools and looked at his own.

"Today, instead of practicing, we'll be visiting Echizen," Tezuka announced.

Tachibana Kippei stood next to Tezuka. "Hearing about this tragedy, Fudomine's tennis team along with other school's teams decided to take today off and also visit Echizen. Everyone wants to support him."

"We hope that the recovery of your teammate is a quick one," Yukimura Seiichi added with a soft smile.

"Lets go," with a flick of his wrist, everyone followed Tezuka as they left Seigaku.

Eiji looked at his older friend who looked rather disappointed. "What's wrong, Fuji?"

"I was going to leave early today," Fuji put his normal smile on his face. "I guess my plan got ruined again."

"You wanted to visit Ochibi by yourself, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but that's ok. I think Echizen could use more people visiting him. Maybe it'll somehow make his mind know that he has to wake up…that there are so many people that care about him."

A hand was gently placed on Fuji's shoulder. "You just care for him in a different way."

"Saeki," looking up, he saw his old friend smiling down at him.

"When Rokkaku heard about what happened to Echizen, I knew that you would be affected. You're very caring when it comes to your teammates…and especially your friends. Echizen is very important to you…"

"Fuji," Eiji had a crooked smile on his face, "you don't need to hide anything from us. Just like Ochibi has people supporting him…we're supporting you too."

"Thank you," for the first time since he heard the news about Ryoma, Fuji smiled for real.

* * *

As they went into the hospital, the tennis players were told to go in groups of no more than three. First, the three captains, Tezuka, Tachibana, and Yukimura, went to visit Ryoma. Tachibana wished for Ryoma to wake up soon, and Yukimura whispered words about understanding how his team must have felt when he was in the hospital. Tezuka was silent, but thanked both of them as they walked out of the room. Next, Kamio Akira, Shinji Ibu, and Kaidoh Kaoru went into the room. Shinji began to mumble things about Echizen needing to be more careful. He was quickly hit by Kamio and apologized. Kaidoh, though he didn't say anything, wore his concern on his face. For the few more minutes they were in the room, it was silent other than the beeping of the machines. The last group to go into the room to see Ryoma was Eiji, Saeki, and Fuji.

"I don't like how he looks. It doesn't suit him," Eiji commented.

Fuji just stared at Ryoma. The younger boy just laid there. He didn't move or make a sound. His right arm was wrapped as well as his head. There were noticeable scrapes on his pale face and arms. He didn't look like himself being hooked up to so many different machines. Fuji was slightly relieved when he noticed that he was breathing on his own again.

"We'll let you have a little time by yourself," Saeki decided.

"No, it's ok. I'll leave too," Fuji looked away from the bed.

Not being seen by anyone, the fingers on Ryoma's left hand twitched. Saeki and Eiji had already left the room, but Fuji decided to look back one last time before going. It hurt seeing Echizen the way he was.

"Eh…" Ryoma made a faint noise.

"Echizen?" Fuji questioned the sound he heard. Was his mind playing a trick on him? Was he hearing things?

Ryoma's whole left arm twitched, but, this time, Fuji saw it. Quickly, he went to Ryoma's bed side. He stared at the boy hoping that he would open his eyes.

"Open them, Ryoma," there was persistence in the older boy's voice. Fuji grabbed Echizen's left hand. "Please…"

Fuji felt Echizen's hand slightly move in his. Slowly, the young boy's eyes slightly opened up. Though, just as quickly as they opened, they were closed again. He made another weird noise. Letting going of his hand, Fuji pressed the button for the nurse. As the nurse came if, she asked for the older boy to step back from the bed. As he did so, he could have sworn he heard Echizen mutter his name.

"He's coming out of a coma," the nurse looked up at Fuji. "It'll be awhile until he'll be able to respond properly."

"Is he going to be ok?" Fuji questioned. Even though he was happy that Ryoma was waking up, he still worried about the outcome.

She smiled. "It's hard to tell right now. We'll watch his progress throughout the day and night. You should come back tomorrow to see him."

"Thank you," bowing, Fuji left the room.

* * *

Out in the main lobby, all of the tennis team members were still waiting. Eiji looked at Fuji with his sapphire colored eyes as he walked out. As soon as he saw Fuji's normal smiling self, he knew something good must have happened.

"Fuji? What happened?" Eiji demanded. His voice became very childish because he knew it had to be good news.

"Echizen is coming out of a coma," Fuji explained.

Momo let out a sigh of relief. "That's our fighter."

"I hope that Echizen's recovery will go well," Yukimura smiled.

"How about we all come back tomorrow after school?" Tachibana suggested.

Tezuka firmly nodded in agreement. "Yes. It'll be good for Echizen to know we're all here supporting him and his recovery."

Waving good-bye, everyone left the lobby of the hospital. Eiji noticed that Fuji hadn't moved yet. He made his way over to his friend.

"I just hope that Echizen will be able to go back to functioning like his normal self," Fuji looked at Eiji. The happiness in his face was taken over by worry. "There are so many things that can still go wrong."

"Don't say things like that. Ochibi is a fighter," Eiji reassured him. "Believe in him."

"Right," he nodded as the two of them walked out of the hospital and towards their homes.

**NOTE:**** Thank you for all the reviews! It's kind of weird, mhwang said to in a review to put more characters from the other tennis teams. The thing is, I had already decided to do that before reading the review. People on here must be mind readers! Haha.**

**Also, I tried my best to describe what Ryoma looked like as he's in a coma. Thank you, Fuji 2.0, for your review about needing more detail about that. More detail about the car crash thing (…yeah…) will be coming in one of the next chapters.**

**Oh, and thank you, Sabaku no Sable. Your review made me feel better about how Fuji's personality is coming in this fic. **

**Oi~! The few characters that I brought in have very limited lines due to the fact that I felt I would not get their personalities and such right. They may come back in the next chapter. This whole chapter was kind of hard for me to write. Oh well! I hope I did ok. **


	4. Chapter 4

Nanjiro stood in the hospital. He calmly listened to a nurse explaining what was going on with Ryoma. As the nurse walked away from the older man, Fuji entered. Quickly spotting the boy, Nanjiro stopped him.

"You're that Fuji kid," Nanjiro scanned him. "You here to see my boy again?"

Fuji nodded. "How is he doing?"

"He's not fully aware of what's going on, but he's getting better. His progress is going faster than the doctors expected. As of right now, I'm not sure if he'll be able to play tennis again. We'll have to wait and see how everything goes. It can't be judged right now seeming that he just woke up."

"Is it ok if I go see him?" Fuji questioned.

"I'm sure he'd be happy to see a friend. Though, he might be able to communicate right. He was having issues early with talking, and Ryoma isn't functioning perfectly…so he might not be himself."

"That's fine. No matter what, Echizen is Echizen to me," Fuji smiled and walked away from Ryoma's father. He softly whispered something to himself. "Even if Ryoma can't play tennis anymore, it won't change my feelings."

* * *

As he slipped into the small room, Fuji noticed that Echizen was resting. His mouth was open and breathing heavily. Quietly, Fuji sat on the chair next to his bed. Smiling, he admired the younger boy. He didn't want to wake up Ryoma, but Fuji couldn't help but brush his hand against Ryoma's soft skin. Seeing the boy's eyes slightly twitch, he quickly pulled his hand away.

"I guess I should leave you alone so you can continue to recover," Fuji's words were soft. "I have to say, this incident made me realize how much I do care about you. When you get out of the hospital…when you're able to fully understand the things I want to tell you…I'll explain everything."

"Wh…who…?" a quivering voice barely uttered.

"Echizen, keep fighting for Seigaku," Fuji stood up. He wasn't going to be selfish and ask for Ryoma to do it for him.

The small, left hand of the pale Ryoma tried to pull up to stop Fuji, but couldn't manage to get the strength to do so. "Wh…wha…t…?"

This time, Fuji heard the voice. Looking down at the bed, Fuji's eyes closed as he showed his friendly smile. "I'll comeback later."

As the older boy left the room, a tear fell down Echizen's cheek. At that point of time, no one could be sure if he was sad that Fuji was leaving or if his mind wasn't functioning properly.

* * *

Seeming that Fuji skipped school, he was unsure about what he should do with the rest of his day. He sat in the waiting room of the hospital and let questions run through his mind. Would Ryoma be able to play tennis again? Would he be able to understand the feelings Fuji had for him? When would be the right time to tell him that he thought of Ryoma as more than a friend? If Ryoma could no longer play tennis, would he still stay friends with the older boy? Just thinking about all the different possibilities made Fuji nervous.

"Fuji!" Tezuka walked into the waiting room and spotted the tennis genius. It was obvious that he was angry.

Looking up, Fuji just smiled.

"Were you here all day long?" Eiji wondered.

"Is school over already?" Fuji pushed his hair out of his face.

"Yeah!" Eiji nodded and softly giggled. "I should of figured you'd be here though. How's he doing?"

"He was sleeping. I decided to leave him be. It's best he gets his rest."

"We'll just visit him for a couple minutes then," Momo decided. He was eager to see how his little friend was doing.

"Right," Eiji agreed.

Fuji, looking at the group, noticed that there were fewer people than yesterday. It puzzled him. "Where is everyone else?"

"Tachibana, even though he was the one that suggested we came back, decided it was best if we didn't overcrowd him," Tezuka explained. "Today, just a few of us came from Seigaku. We'll come in small groups and only stay for a couple of minutes. It's best this way so we don't confuse him too much."

"Lets not wait any longer. Lets go!" Momo walked towards Echizen's room.

"Don't be impatient," the captain followed the younger boy.

Fuji stood up from his seat and started to go the other direction.

"Not coming?" Eiji called.

"I've already seen him today. I should share Echizen with everyone else too. Don't you think?" Fuji smiled.

"If you say so," giggling, Eiji ran to catch up with Tezuka and Momo.

"Anyways, I'd rather see him when it's just the two of us," the older boy walked out of the hospital and headed home.

**NOTE:**** I didn't put too much in this chapter. If I had continued on, this chapter would have been too long for my taste. I'm going to work extra hard on chapter 5 (and all the chapters to come). **

**Thank you for continuing to read my fic and for all the wonderful reviews! I hope I can continue to make this fic as wonderful as I want it to be.**


	5. Chapter 4 point 5

**NOTE:**** This is a chapter that I put in due to information that seemed to be missing (to me). I hope that this will fill in some things and make everything a little easier for everyone to understand.**

Two days had past since Ryoma started to regain consciousness. On this particular day, Oishi was the only one that was going to visit the younger boy. As he stood next to Ryoma's bed, he smiled down at him. At this point of time, Ryoma was asleep and unaware that his senpai was watching over him. He didn't want to wake him up, so Oishi, being the kind person he is, decided to stay silent. As he continued to look at the boy, the door opened and a doctor walked in. This made Oishi jump a little.

"Would you like to hear more about Ryoma-kun's condition?" the doctor wondered.

Nodding, Oishi followed him out of the room. In the hall, he stood next to another man, Nanjiro, and waited for the doctor to speak.

"There are many different types of coma. What Ryoma-kun had was an anoxic brain injury. This is where there is a lack of oxygen to the brain. When the car hit him, his head hit the ground causing a head injury. There was brain damage, but, from what we saw, it's not much. His speech will be abnormal for awhile, and it's best to keep him out of school until he's able to function on his own," the doctor explained.

"Will he be able to play tennis again?" Oishi questioned. He slightly regretted asking because he didn't want the answer to be no.

"Ryoma-kun should be able to, but there is the chance that he won't play at the same level."

"I see…"

"Also, because he did get hit by a car, there is a chance he'll suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD for short. These symptoms include flashbacks, emotional detachment, and jumpiness. He should slowly stop having these symptoms after a month, but, if he doesn't, he'll need to see a mental health professional," the doctor smiled. "We'll just have to see how things go."

"Thank you," Nanjiro bowed as the doctor walked away. He quickly turned to Oishi. "Are you another one of his friends?"

"Yes. I'm Oishi Shuichiro, vice-captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team," Oishi politely bowed.

"Hmm…Ryoma sure does have a lot of people that look after him," Nanjiro, with out waiting for Oishi to reply, walked away.

Oishi looked towards the door that let into Ryoma's hospital room. "I'll keep this information to myself until more is figured out…" Letting out a sigh, the older boy left the hospital.

**NOTE:** **This chapter is pretty short, but I think it has some information in it that will help people understand Ryoma's condition a little better.**

**Thank you, chibi-otaku27, for your review on chapter 5. I hope that this will fill in what seemed incomplete in that chapter. If things still seem incomplete, let me know, ok? Then I'll go back and actually rewrite chapter 5.**


	6. Chapter 5

_**EDIT:**__** Due to some missing detail in this chapter, there is a new chapter that I wrote that comes before this chapter (Called chapter 4.5). I suggest (even if you already read this chapter) to go back and read chapter 4.5 to get some information that isn't given. Thank you.**_

A week had passed by since Ryoma woke up from being in a coma. Slowly, Ryoma was becoming aware of the things around him. He started to be able to have small conversation, though it was noticeable that his speech was different. He was very wary about the movements he made and still had problems doing certain tasks. When the Seigaku Regulars came to visit, Ryoma would often mess up their names or forget them all together. There were even points when he would start talking in English and not even notice. It was finalized that Ryoma was making very good progress, and that he would be able to go home. Even when at home, he was watched very carefully by his mother and father.

* * *

Tennis practice at Seishun Academy was going on like normal. Everyone on the team could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Echizen was sent home. Oishi and Tezuka were talking in one section of the courts. There was only one person they could be talking about at this point of time.

"It's probably best if we drop Echizen from the Regulars until he's fully recovered," Oishi looked at the paper he was holding.

Tezuka took the paper from Oishi and began looking over it. "We need our strongest players as Regulars. With the way Echizen has been, he might not be able to play tennis again. Even if he is able to…there's the possibility that he won't be as strong of player as he used to be…"

Overhearing the conversation between captain and vice-captain, Fuji swung his racket forward harder than he intended to. Hitting the tennis ball, it flew past Eiji. The ball ended up hitting Kaidoh in the back of the head.

"Who did that?" Kaidoh turned with an angry look on his face.

"Sorry, Kaidoh," Fuji quickly apologized.

"Fuji-senpai?" Quickly, Kaidoh looked in a different direction and tightened hi green bandana. "It's ok."

"Fuji," Eiji walked up the net. "Hey, Ochibi is going to be alright. You shouldn't worry so much. He's at home now, and he's getting better."

Fuji joined the slightly younger boy at the net. "I know. I'm still worried though. Just because things seem to be getting better doesn't mean they can't get worse."

"What did I tell you about saying stuff like that?"

"Right, right."

"You should go see him after practice. You never really got a chance to talk to him when he was in the hospital."

"I will."

"Oh, and you better hurry up and confess your feelings to him soon. If you don't, someone might get to Ochibi first," Eiji winked and stuck out his tongue.

"I doubt it," there was a sadistic tone to Fuji's voice.

"Scary~!" Eiji laughed as Fuji served.

* * *

After practice, Fuji made his way to Ryoma's house. It was the first time he had ever gone to his house by himself. The though made him smile. He was happy he was getting to visit Ryoma by himself. Raising his right arm, Fuji knocked on the door. Nanjiro answered.

"Hmm?" he looked at the boy. "You're that Fuji kid."

Fuji bowed and let his hair fall in front of his face. "I came to visit Echizen Ryoma." Pulling himself up, he closed his eyes and smiled. "Is he awake?"

Nanjiro pointed up to Ryoma's room. "The kid's in his room."

"Thank you," again, Fuji bowed and walked past the older man and went to Ryoma's room.

* * *

Peering into the room, Fuji saw Ryoma sitting at his desk. Slowly, he was writing something down on a piece of paper.

"Echizen?" Fuji stood in the doorway.

Slightly jumping, Ryoma dropped his pen. Trying to stand up, he wobbled a little and sat back down in the chair. His greenish blue hair was messy and in his face. The boy looked like he was in a daze.

"I came to see how you were doing," Fuji made his way into the room. "When everyone heard that you were released from the hospital, they were so happy."

"…hospital…" Ryoma repeated. His word was no more than a whisper.

"Am I bothering you?"

"F-Fuji…senpai…" his voice was shaky. "Hospital…car…te…tennis…c-car…"

The older boy was puzzled by the things Echizen was saying. He wasn't talking in complete sentences. He was just uttering random words.

"Late…car…hit…" Echizen was beginning to shake in his chair. He slowly pulled his left had up and placed it on his head. It looked as if he was in pain.

"Ryoma!" Without think, Fuji ran to Echizen's side and embraced him with his long arms.

Ryoma let out a piercing scream. At that moment, Fuji had finally realized what was happening. Ryoma was having a flashback from when the car hit him.

Still holding onto the younger boy, Fuji tried to get Ryoma to realize what was going on. "Snap out of it, Echizen. You're safe now. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you ever again."

Tears streamed down Echizen's cheeks. His golden eyes widened from the words his senpai said. "…Fuji…safe…"

"Yes, you're safe with me," he loosened his grip on the younger boy.

"Th…a…" before being able to finish his words, Echizen passed out from the stress of the flashback.

Picking him up, Fuji carried Ryoma to his bed. A worried smile formed, and he quickly wrote a note. Placing the note on Echizen's desk, he left the room. Going downstairs, he explained to Nanjiro what had happened. Thanking him, Nanjiro said he'd go look after Ryoma. Even though he was still worried, Fuji left the house hoping that Ryoma would be ok.

**NOTE:**** I'm going to continue to try my hardest to make this fic better and better.**

**Thank you, everyone, for the support and the reviews~! It's much appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 6

**NOTE:**** After rewriting some things, I'm finally back with a new chapter! I'm sorry about the wait, but I just had to go and redo some things. I hope those who have already read the first 5 chapters will go back an reread them to see the new things I added.**

**Also, I must note that in this chapter anything that is in **_**italic **_**is Ryoma speaking English.**

Ryoma opened his golden eyes and looked around the room. He couldn't remember how he got in his bed or what happened when Fuji was there. He spotted the note Fuji left for him on his desk. Slowly, he made his way to the desk and picked up the paper. He read it about five times before understanding it.

"I'm…sorry…" he read. He was confused by his senpai's note. Sitting at the desk, he saw what he was writing before. He spoke the words he saw, "I'm scared…?"

* * *

Another day had passed. Eiji and Momo both decided to go see Echizen after school. They ended up forcing Fuji to go with them.

"I don't want to," Fuji tried to resist coming along.

"You have to!" Eiji whined. "Do it for Ochibi!"

"You know you want to see him, Fuji-senpai," Momo persisted.

Without getting another word out, Eiji and Momo dragged the older boy in the direction of Ryoma's house. They both hummed to different tunes and smiled. It was only Fuji who seemed to not be happy.

* * *

Knocking on the door of the Echizen residence, Nanjiro answered and pointed them in the direction of his son's room. He warned them that he seemed a little different today. Walking into the room, Momo was the first to greet Ryoma.

"Hey, Echizen," Momo smiled.

"Momo-senpai," Ryoma looked up from what he was doing. "Kikumaru-senpai…Fuji-senpai."

"We came to see how you're doing, Ochibi," Eiji chirped. He refrained himself from attacking Ryoma with hugs.

"_I'm fine_."

"Huh?" Eiji looked at Fuji. "I'm not good with English."

"You're talking in English again, Echizen," Fuji walked up to the younger boy. He placed his hand on Ryoma's cheek. "Your color is coming back. That's good."

Echizen began to tremble in his seat. His cheeks started to turn red as tears formed in his eyes. "_Confused…_"

"Sorry," Fuji pulled away. He went to the door and started to leave. "It's best if I'm not here."

"I hope you'll be able to come to school soon. Echizen, Seigaku needs you," Momo told the boy.

Eiji shook his head. "I know this is going to confuse you, Ochibi, but there is someone who needs you more than Seigaku. Grow stronger for him. Keep fighting for him. Even if you don't, I know he'll love you for the person you are."

"_I'm…tired_," Echizen wobbled his way to his bed.

"I understood that," Momo nodded. "We'll let you get your rest."

The two older boys left the room.

* * *

Fuji stood a few blocks away from Echizen's house. He leaned against a light post trying to understand what happened. Pulling his fingers through his hair, he let out a sigh.

"What was I thinking?" Fuji questioned himself. "The last thing I need to do is get this close to Echizen. Seigaku needs him to get better for the tennis team. I can't be selfish and want him to get better just for me."

Looking up to the sky, his blue eyes showed his sadness. Fuji decided that it was probably best for him to get home. Ryoma probably wouldn't remember what happened today anyways.

* * *

"Do you think Fuji-senpai will be ok?" Momo questioned his upperclassman.

"I'm not sure. Fuji's having a difficult time right now. Just like Ochibi…he needs our support too," Eiji explained.

"I don't think I understand what you mean."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled and pulled his arms behind his head. "Lets go get something to eat. I'll buy."

"…ok…" Momo was unsure about the things Eiji said, but he followed his senpai anyways.

**NOTE:**** Ok, just so everyone knows, I will not update more than once a day. I will probably put a new chapter up every one to three days. It all depends on what else I have going on that day. I hope everyone will continue to enjoy this fic as well as continue to support me.**

**Thank you~!**


	8. Chapter 7

The next school day had started bright and early like always. On this day, Kawamura was looking around the halls for his friends. As he spotted them, he quickly walked up to them.

"Tezuka! Oishi!" he waved papers in the air.

"Good morning, Kawamura," Tezuka was emotionless like always.

"Good morning," the calm boy handed him the papers. "I was doing some research last night. I thought you would like to see it."

Oishi stared at the paper. "Aphasia?"

"Echizen has speech problems now, so I wanted to see what could have caused them. When he talks, he says things in broken sentences. It sounds just like expressive aphasia."

"Express aphasia…a person knows what they want to say, but has a difficult time communicating it to others. This isn't only when speaking, it's with writing as well," Tezuka read the paper. He continued to keep his composure even though reading this new information was difficult for even him.

"Is there a treatment? Is it curable?" Oishi became overly concerned about the matter.

"Well…" Kawamura looked away and tried to find the right words. "There's a possibility that he'll get somewhat better through voice therapy. I'm not very sure though."

"We'll just have to hope for the best," Tezuka decided.

"And he ate three whole burgers by himse―" Eiji stopped talking as he came across the corner and saw Kawamura, Tezuka, and Oishi. "What's going on?"

Oishi looked at Eiji then noticed Fuji standing next to him. He smiled softly. "It's nothing. We were just talking about what we were going to do at practice today."

"That's not wh―"

Tezuka placed his arm in front of Kawamura to signal him to not say anymore. "We have to keep practicing hard."

"R-right…" sadness fell upon Kawamura's face.

"Hmm…I really don't think that's what you three were talking about," Fuji quickly flashed open his blue eyes.

"Fuji, I never told you your punishment for skipping out on practice that one day," the captain started to walk away. "Lets talk about that before class starts."

Fuji quickly followed his captain without a word.

"So, what's really going on?" Eiji wondered.

"I found this online last night," Kawamura handed him the papers.

Quickly, the boy read over them. He became shocked by the words. "Ochibi may never talk normally again…"

"I can tell that Fuji has been more affected by Echizen's accident than the rest of us. It's best if we keep this information to ourselves for a little bit longer," Oishi explained.

"Yeah…" Eiji looked passed them and down the hall. "I know that if Ochibi isn't able to fully recover, Fuji will be traumatized. Though, I also know that he'll support him no matter what happens. It's just the type of person Fuji is."

"It is true then. Fuji's feelings towards―" the bell rang for school to began and cut off Kawamura. "Oh, we better get to class."

"Right. We'll talk more about this later," Oishi waved as he walked off. He hid his worry with his smile.

"Remember, Taka, don't tell Fuji any of this," Eiji ran towards his class.

"I just hope that keeping this from him is the right thing to do…" Kawamuru shoved the papers into his bag and left in the direction of his classroom.

**NOTE:**** I can't believe this fic has made it to chapter 7 (chapter 8 if you count chapter 4.5 as its own chapter). Things are starting to get very interesting. Well, at least I think they are. Of course, I also know what's going to happen next.**

**This chapter was short, but it's because I wanted to separate it from what's going to happen next. You'll have to wait to know what that is though.**

**Thank you for continuing to read this fic and for all the reviews.**

**The climax is almost here. I'm starting to get excited that I'm going to be able to write it soon~!**


	9. Chapter 8

School had finally ended for the day. The tennis team had gathered in front of Tezuka and waited for his announcements. Every time they had to gather like this, an eerie feeling made its way through the team. They always thought that whatever their captain had to say couldn't be good.

"Today, no one is allowed to talk to Fuji," Tezuka began to explain. "For skipping out on practice, his punishment is that no one will respond to anything he says. If I catch anyone talking to him, it's 100 laps."

Everyone looked over to one corner of the courts. Fuji sat on the ground throwing a tennis ball up and then catching him.

Oishi looked back at the captain. "Don't you think that's a little cruel?"

"It's best this way. If no one can talk to him, then no one will be able to say anything about Echizen's condition," Tezuka crossed his arms. No matter how cold of a look he had on his face, he still cared about his teammates.

"Oh! I get it," Eiji giggled and twirled his racket around his wrist. "That's a pretty smart idea."

"Alright, that's enough talk," the captain pointed to the courts. "Start practicing."

* * *

Everyone had begun to practice. Though, when they noticed that their captain had left, they all huddled around on court and began to talk.

"I've never seen Fuji look so helpless before. He must really be worried about Echizen," Oishi pointed out.

Momo nodded. He placed his hands behind his neck. "Yeah, Fuji-senpai is usually so happy looking. It's odd seeing him like this."

"Hey! You shouldn't say things like that," Eiji started to become defensive. Of course, he had a reason to; he was the only one from Seigaku that knew Fuji's true feelings.

"There's a 51 percent chance that you'll tell Fuji what's going on," Inui read from his green notebook. "68 percent chance that Oishi will say something. Hmm…96 percent chance that Kawamura will tell Fuji everything."

"Eh!?" Eiji looked around the group. "Where's Taka anyways?"

Kaidoh pointed his racket across the courts where he noticed Kawamura walking towards Fuji. "He's over by Fuji-senpai."

* * *

Kawamura slowly walked up to Fuji. He fished through his bag and pulled out the papers he showed Tezuka and Oishi earlier.

"Taka-san," Fuji looked up at him. "You'll get in trouble if you're caught talking to me."

Kawamura didn't say a word. He just threw the papers at the boy and ran off.

Fuji pulled his fingers through his hair as he started to read the papers.

"Don't read that!" Eiji yelled as he ran up to Fuji.

It was too late. Fuji stood up and gave his friend an icy stare. "What else have you been hiding from me?"

"It was for the best, Fuji," Oishi calmly stated.

"For the best?" it was obvious that Fuji was losing his cool. It was unlike him to act this way. "How is hiding these types of things for the best?"

"Just let it go, Fuji-senpai," Momo placed his hand on the older boy's shoulder but was quickly pushed away.

"I can't just let it go!"

"This is why we were hiding it from you, Fuji!" Eiji snapped. "If we told you, you would have just broke down."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you're in love with Echizen!"

The older boy fell to his knees as the words rang through his ears. He wrapped his arms around himself and he slightly began to shake. The tennis team was seeing a side of Fuji that they never saw before. He was scared.

"Fuji…" Oishi bent down and placed his hands on Fuji's shoulders. "It'll be ok."

"How can you say that?" Fuji mumbled.

"You just have to believe, senpai," Momo smiled.

Fuji turned his head and faced Eiji. They stayed there in silence. It was as if Fuji was waiting for Eiji to say something.

"I'm sorry, Fuji. I shouldn't have yelled like that, but you know it's the truth. Ochibi will be fine as long as you believe in him. He'll need some help on the way to his recovery…and I think that your love will be able to pull him through," Eiji took the papers away from Fuji. "These are just some things Taka found. We don't know if it's true yet. Give it some time."

The normal smile formed on Fuji's face. "Thank you, Eiji. Though, next time, don't tell everyone about who I like."

"100 laps!" Tezuka yelled as he walked back into the courts.

"What?" Momo saw Inui and Kaidoh next to the captain. "They told on us?"

"Hurry up or you'll be here all night!"

"Right!" Fuji, Momo, Eiji, and Oishi replied as they began to run around the courts.

"Hey, where did Taka go anyways?" Eiji wondered.

"He probably ran off so he wouldn't get in trouble," Momo told his upperclassman.

"Meanie~!" Eiji whined.

"Lets just hurry and finish these laps quickly," Oishi decided.

All three of them saw Fuji far in front of them. He was running at a quicker pace than normal. They all agreed that he must be running for Echizen too.

**NOTE:**** Things are starting to get interesting, no? I will continue to work hard on this fic (along with my new fic "The Pressure of Our Love").**

**Thank you for all the reviews so far. I never imagined I would ever have so many reviews for one story. It makes me feel like I'm actually doing a good job. At least…I hope I am. Please, continue to support me.**

**Thank you for continuing to read this fic~!**


	10. Chapter 9

_Ryoma sat in the small, white room of the doctor's office. As the doctor walked in, Ryoma looked up in anticipation. The news he was going to receive would change the rest of his life._

_"Your speech has slightly improved, but you're still lacking the ability to function like you once did. You're no longer reacting to things as fast as you used to. From what we can see, you'll never play tennis again," the doctor wrote some notes on a piece of paper. "You should give up on it. Maybe you can find a different hobby…like collecting stamps."_

_"What?" Ryoma was confused by the doctor's words. "Can't I learn? Can't you make me better?"_

_"It's impossible. Give up. It's not worth fighting any longer. You'll just get yourself hurt."_

_"I can't just give up!" tears began to form in the young boy's eyes. His emotions were taking over. "What am I supposed to do now? What'll everyone think? If I can't play tennis, I have nothing…nothing!"_

_"You're still young. You'll figure it out."_

_Ryoma began to shake as he pulled his arms around himself. His sobs became uncontrollable, and he no longer felt himself. "No…I won't…"_

"Aaaahhhhh!" Ryoma's scream echoed through the house. "Dream…" He looked around the room and pulled his left hand up to touch his cheek. Tears had already stained them. "Why…felt…so real…?"

* * *

"Kaidoh-kun," the teacher looked towards the boy. "Do you know the answer to the problem?"

"Seven," Kaidoh mumbled as he pretended to be paying attention.

"…no…"

"Ten."

"This is Japanese history not math," the teacher tapped the question written on the board. "You're not even paying attention."

"Sorry," he quickly apologized.

"Start paying attention, please," she continued the lesson.

_I haven't been able to pay attention since last week. Ever since we learned more about Echizen's condition…or the theories we have…I've been too worried about those things. This is ridiculous. I shouldn't be worrying so much. That idiot will come back to school and be perfectly normal,_ Kaidoh thought as he scribbled noted down.

* * *

"Momoshiro, if you're eating again…" a male teacher walked by the boy's desk. He was shocked when he didn't see food stashed behind his books. "You're lucky."

Momoshiro sighed as he continued to look at the book. The teacher hadn't noticed that he wasn't reading a book for that class. He was looking a notebook Inui filled with information about the different conditions Echizen could have.

_Echizen might end up with a lot of problems. It's ok though, because I know that he'll somehow make it through all of this ok. He's our fighter!_ Momoshiro smiled as he thought. He quickly flipped the page and continued to read.

* * *

Fuji sat at his desk and began to eat his lunch. Eiji, who sat next to him, peered over to see his friend's food.

"Take it," Fuji picked up the small cupcake he had.

Eiji took it and quickly ate it. "Thanks, Fuji, you're the best."

"I wouldn't say th―" he stopped when he noticed Inui and Kawamura walk into the classroom.

"What are you guys doing here?" Eiji wondered.

"I was double checking things last night. I came across some information that Fuji might want to see," Inui handed the boy a piece of paper.

"Hmm?" Fuji quickly looked over the paper. "This is about aphasia. Don't you think we've read enough about this?"

"There's a possibility that it could be transient aphasia. That means his speech problem might only be temporary," Kawamura explained.

"We haven't talked to Ochibi in a week, so his speech might be all better now," Eiji giggled from his happiness. "That's great!"

"Of course, there's still the chance that it's not temporary. We'll just have to go visit Echizen and see," Inui nodded as he fixed his glasses.

Fuji stood up as a soft smile formed on his face. "I'm happy to know that there's a chance that Echizen will be able to talk normally."

"Of course you would be…you love him…" Eiji mumbled.

"You shouldn't say things like that with such confidence, Eiji. It'll be your downfall."

"Right, right," Eiji began to sink down in his chair from his friend's words. Sometimes, Fuji was a little too scary for his taste.

* * *

The school day had once again ended meaning it was time for tennis practice. Tezuka told everyone to run twenty laps as warm up. Everyone, besides him and Oishi, began to run around the outside of the courts.

"What do you have planned for today?" Oishi questioned his captain.

"It's a surprise," Tezuka said as he looked to see how his teammates were doing.

"A surprise?" the vice-captain was slightly worried about Tezuka's idea of a surprise.

"You'll see," he walked up to the group that had finally finished their laps. "I have some news for you guys."

"News?" everyone looked around. They always became worried since the announcement of Echizen's accident when he had something to say. What did the captain have to tell them this time?

"Echizen's father called Ryuzaki-sensei. It was said that he should be coming back to school next week."

"Echizen's coming back?" Kaidoh towards the other Regulars.

"Ochibi!" Eiji grabbed onto Fuji. "He's coming back! He's coming back!"

The whole team seemed to cheer at the good news. It had been odd with out Echizen around. The team just wasn't the same with his overconfident, cocky attitude.

Oishi sighed as he turned away from the group. "Just because he's coming back doesn't mean he'll be able to play tennis."

"I know. Lets just keep that from them for a little bit longer," Tezuka decided.

**NOTE:**** This was an interesting chapter for me to write. It started of with Ryoma's dream (which will become significant later on) and ended with the announcement that he'll be returning to school. This chapter also slightly touched on how Kaidoh and Momoshiro are taking Ryoma's accident. I'm looking forward to writing the return of Ryoma to school. Of course, there are a few other things I have write about before I can do that.**

**Thank you for continuing to read this fic. I hope that everyone will stick with me until the very end of it. I'm very grateful for all the reviews. I hope that everyone will continue to read this fic and supporting it until the end.**


	11. Chapter 10

"Ryoma!" Nanjiro called up the stairs.

Slowly, Ryoma wobbled his way out of his room and down the stairs. He was startled when Karupin nudged his head against the boy's leg. Bending over, he slightly brushed his hand against the cat's head.

"Aren't you missing something?" Nanjiro asked his son.

Ryoma looked around but didn't notice anything missing. "…no…"

"Where's your hat?"

The boy pulled up his left arm and touched his hair. "I…dirty…no…it's…dirty…"

"Here," as Nanjiro placed a white cap on top of the boy's head, he flinched. It was obvious that Ryoma was still sensitive to touch.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"Ryoma."

"I…" Ryoma turned to look around the house. He spotted his beg by the front door. "Tennis…"

"Hmm?"

"I'll play…"

"What are you talking about, Ryoma?" he was confusing his own father.

"No matter what, I'll…tennis…" the boy's words were getting mixed up. Even though his speech was becoming better, he would still mess up. Though, he rarely noticed the mistakes he made.

"I see," Nanjiro smiled. "Lets go."

The two of them walked out of the house. They left for the hospital. It was there where Ryoma would find out the truth. It would be the time when he figured out if he would really be able to play tennis once again.

* * *

Out on the tennis courts of Seishun Academy, the tennis team practiced. Of course, some of the team was practicing a little harder than the other.

"So, we'll paint a huge banner," Eiji began to sketch something on a piece of paper.

"We should get some balloons too," Momoshiro suggested.

"Yeah!"

Fuji made his way over to the two boys. He peered over Eiji's shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Ah!" Eiji jumped and grabbed onto Momo's arm. "Fuji! Don't do that!"

"What's this?" he wasn't even worried about what his friend had said. Fuji just picked up the paper and read it. "A welcome back party?"

"We thought it would be nice to throw a little party after school on the day Echizen comes back. It's kind of so he knows that even if he doesn't have the ability to play tennis, we're still supporting him," Momo explained to the older boy. "Even if he can't play tennis, he's still part of the team."

"We should invite the other schools," Fuji suggested.

"And get a cake," Eiji agreed.

"Something will be missing though," Momo crossed his arms as he began to think.

"Ponta!" Fuji and Eiji yelled at the same time.

"Yeah, Echizen loves that stuff."

"It's settled; we'll throw a great party," Eiji giggled.

"Have you talked to Tezuka about any of this yet?" Fuji already had a feeling that the answer was no.

"We…" Eiji looked around the courts and spotted Tezuka. "We'll do that now~!"

* * *

Echizen sat in the white room of the doctor's office. Everything seemed all too familiar to him. Something deep inside him told him that the news he would receive wouldn't be what he wanted to hear. As the door opened, Ryoma attempted to prepare himself for anything the doctor were to say.

"Ryoma-kun, you're looking much better," the doctor smiled.

"Thanks," he mumbled under his breath.

Nanjiro made swinging actions with his arm while looking at the doctor. He was trying to hint on the one thing Ryoma really wanted to hear.

"Oh, right!" the doctor sat down. "Your recovery is going along smoothly. The major speech problem you were having was just temporary. You're already able to form correct sentences. Though, you do still have problems at some points. It's nothing major, so you should be fine within a week or so. If you haven't noticed, your movements are still slow."

"Will I…" Ryoma looked at the floor. "Will I be able to play tennis?"

"Well…I'm sure you will be able to. It's just, you might not be able to play like you used to. Again, your movements are still slow, and that will have to be counted into everything. All I can really say is that you should try. Go slow at first, and don't push yourself too hard. Take everything one step at a time."

"Wouldn't it be hard for him to run back and forth across the court?" Nanjiro wondered.

"Ah, well, yes…that might be a problem. Ryoma-kun, your running and everything will be a bit off. Time can only tell if you'll get the full capability back to do all the things you once did."

"Ma…mada mada dane," Ryoma smirked as he pulled at his cap.

_The kid has the spirit to keep pushing forward. Lets just hope he doesn't push himself too hard,_ Nanjiro thought to himself.

"If you have any questions, you can call me at any time. Ryoma-kun will be able to return to school next week," the doctor began to walk out of the room. "Good luck."

Nanjiro and Ryoma left the building. On their way home, Ryoma started to really think about what the doctor had said. Sure, he might be able to play tennis again, but, if he couldn't play like he used to, would the tennis team still like him? Even if he wasn't at the strength he once was at, would everyone still want him on the team? The questions began to worry Ryoma.

**NOTE:**** 50…50 plus reviews…I…I never thought I would see so many on just one of my fics! Thank you so much~! It makes me so happy to see so many wonderful reviews. I'm very grateful.**

**Anyways, I was going to put part of Ryoma coming back to school in this chapter, but I couldn't find a good enough spot to stop that at, so I just decided it would wait until the next chapter. **

**What chapter is this anyways? 10? I've hit 10 chapters already? Well…I don't count chapter 4.5 as a chapter. So, yes, 10 chapters. Wow. I wonder how many more chapters there will be until this fic will be complete. **

**The other schools are going to comeback at Ryoma's welcome back party. I'm worried about that. I hope I will do a good job when the time comes. **

**Well, thank you for reading/continuing to read. I hope that you'll continue to read this story until the very end. Thank you for all the reviews and everything else. I will continue to work hard to make this the best fic I can. Thank you~!**


	12. Chapter 11

After days of planning, the tennis team had finally set up everything for Ryoma's welcome back party. As the school day finally ended, they all gathered around the courts with teams from other schools. All that was left was the star of the party to come.

Slowly, Ryoma made his way to the courts. He didn't even bother changing. He knew that he would end up being dropped from the Regulars, so he didn't even feel the need to be on the tennis team. As he walked onto the courts, everyone gathered around him.

"Welcome back, Echizen!" everyone yelled.

"Huh?" Ryoma looked around. Confusion filled him.

"Ochibi, we wanted to welcome you back with a little party," Eiji smiled.

The younger boy looked around and saw everyone that was there. It was almost overwhelming knowing that they were all there for him. Ryoma didn't think he would have so much support.

"Thank…you," his voice was slow and unsteady.

"We have some presents for you too," Momo pointed to a small table that was set up in the courts.

"Presents?"

"Go on; open them," Tezuka lightly nudged the boy to go forward.

Ryoma stood over the table. He began to open the first gift. As he tore the green paper off, he revealed a can of Ponta. Without even thanking them, he opened the can and began to drink it.

"I guess he couldn't wait," Oishi slightly giggled.

They continued to watch Ryoma open the next presents. The next one was a light blue wrist band from Rokkaku. Then, there were cards from Hyotei and Rikkai. As Ryoma began to read the card from Rikkai, Yukimaru presented him with a small bouquet of flowers. The younger boy was shocked by them, but quickly thanked the captain of the rival team. Moving along, Ryoma opened a package signed from Fudomine. It was a blue and white hat. Looking towards Shinji, Kamio, and Tachibana, Ryoma slightly bowed and placed the cap on his head.

"Thank you," Ryoma bowed again.

"There's one more thing, Echizen," Oishi began to speak. "This is from us to you."

Fuji walked up to Ryoma and held out a Regulars' jacket. "For you."

"But…" Ryoma looked away. "I don't…know…tennis…"

"That's not what matters, Echizen. Take the jacket. Even if you can't play tennis like you used to, you're still a member of this team. Keep the jacket and remember that," Tezuka told the younger boy.

As Ryoma pulled his arms through the jacket, mixed emotions filled his body. He was happy that he was still accepted as a member of the tennis team as well as being able to still wear the Regular's jacket. Though, deep down, he was unsure about everything. Thoughts began to race through his mind again. Finally, the memory of when Eiji, Momo, and Fuji came to visit him flashed into his mind.

"Fuji-senpai!" Ryoma quickly covered his mouth after the words came out. He didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Echizen, what's wrong?" Fuji let his normal grin form on his face.

"…I…" another thought ran across Ryoma's mind of the note he found from Fuji. "The…note."

"Hmm?" the older boy tilted his head to the right.

"Why are you sorry?"

Quickly, Fuji opened his eyes to show the shock in them. He didn't expect the younger boy to remember that. "That's not important."

"Then…play a match against me."

"What?"

"I have to see…" Ryoma looked away from the group. "I need to know…"

"You can't. Echizen, you might get yourself hurt," Kawamura tried to stop his underclassman.

Momoshiro looked at the captain and vice-captain. "Aren't you two going to stop this?"

"There's no stopping it," Tezuka watched as Fuji and Echizen made their way to an empty court.

"Are you sure this is ok, Oishi?" Inui wondered. He began to write things down in his notebook. "If he's not fully ready, he'll get hurt for sure."

"Even though I want to stop it, I won't. Echizen needs to do this…for himself," a concern look fell upon Oishi's face. "Fuji will watch over him carefully."

* * *

On the court, Echizen was chosen to serve first. Placing the racket he borrowed in his right hand, he bounced the tennis ball. It hit the ground and was caught three times. Finally, the boy tossed it into the air. Right when he pulled his arm up to swing the racket, he fell to his knees.

"Echizen!" Fuji ran to his side.

Ryoma tightly held his right wrist. Tears began to form in his eyes from the pain. "No…I…"

"It's ok. It's going to take you some time until you'll be able to play again. You should have known not to use your right arm. You knew that it was sprained."

"Because I…was late…"

"That's not what I meant."

"Because I wasn't watching…where I was going…"

"Echizen."

"I'll never be able to…play…again."

"Don't say things like that."

"It's true."

"I'll teach you then."

"What?"

"I'll train with you until you're ready to play again. I'll work with you."

"…but…"

Fuji let his eyes open to show his sincerity. "Tennis is something important to you. I want to help you be able to continue to do that thing that you love."

"Fuji-senpai…" another feeling surged through Ryoma's body. Unlike the other feelings, he didn't understand what this one was. "Thank you."

"Now, if we're done here, lets get back to the others. There's still a cake that needs to be eaten," the older boy stood up and held out his hand.

Slowly, Ryoma's unsteady hand reached up and was taken by Fuji. The two of them made their way back to the group. A happy feeling grew inside of Fuji knowing that he would be able to spend more time with Ryoma. Though, it was still unknown if the special feelings he had would be returned.

**NOTE:**** And…Ryoma has returned~! Ah, I know, I didn't do much with the other schools. Forgive me. They might make a comeback later on. I'm not overly sure yet.**

**Oh! I've started to make drawings for this story. Well, there's only one so far, but I'm going to continue to make more. Um…I think I'll post the links to them on my profile if you want to check them out. As I said, I'm going to make a series of them just for this story.**

**Um…let me think…things are turning around, right? Ryoma tried to play tennis, and, now, Fuji's going to slowly help him with tennis. Interesting, interesting. Things are just getting started; there's still a lot more in store!**

**Thank you for all the reviews and everything else. It means a lot to me~!**


	13. Chapter 12

The next day at tennis practice, Fuji met with Tezuka. He began to tell him that he wanted to work with Ryoma until he started to have the ability to play on his own.

"Are you sure? It's going to take practice time away from you," Tezuka reminded the boy.

"I know, but it's something I want to do," Fuji explained. "I hope you understand."

Tezuka nodded. "I do. Fuji, become Echizen's strength."

"I will," he smiled and ran towards the court Echizen was waiting at.

* * *

"Ready?" Fuji looked down at Echizen who was sitting on the ground.

"Fuji-senpai, will you really be able to help me?" the younger boy questioned.

"I will try my best."

"But…you play with your right hand…"

"Hmmm…" Fuji tossed his racket back and forth between his hands. "I guess that might be a little problem. Should I try playing with my left hand?"

"I don't think," Ryoma stopped talking as he watched Fuji.

"You don't think?"

"Huh?" he shook his head. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I know that you're still a little weary from what happened. It's going to take you awhile to fully be aware of everything. Echizen, just know that I'm here if you need to talk about anything."

"Thank you, senpai…"

"Now, lets work on your swing," Fuji placed his racket on the ground and stood behind Ryoma. Slowly, he slid his hand down the younger boy's arm and onto his hand. "Your grip has weakened, so I'll help you keep your grip as you swing." He tightened his hand around Ryoma's. "Go ahead and bring your arm back as if you're going to swing the racket forward. Don't go too fast…take your time so you don't hurt yourself."

"Right," Ryoma began to pull his arm back. As he did, it felt as if the racket was getting heavier. His grip began to loosen, but Fuji quickly tightened his. "Why does it feel so heavy?"

"You haven't played tennis in weeks. Your bodies no longer used to all the actions you used to make," Fuji let go of Ryoma's hand. When he did, the racket fell out of Ryoma's hand and hit the ground.

"I'm weak."

"You're not weak."

"I'm…weak…"

"You not weak, Ryoma," as the words slipped out of his mouth, Fuji pulled away from the boy. "Sorry."

"It's ok, Fuji-senpai," his speech became oddly slow. "I don't mind…if you…call me by my…first…name…"

"Are you ok?"

"…yes…"

"Your speech is becoming hard to understand."

"I…" before he could finish his sentence, Echizen fell to his knees. "…car…"

"What?"

"Blood…car…falling…falling…" Ryoma's words became broken, and his body started to shake. "Help…no one…can…please…"

"Ryoma!" without thinking, Fuji wrapped his arms around the boy. "It's ok. You have nothing to worry about. You're going to be ok. You have everyone here supporting you. I won't let anything harm you. I promise. I promise you!"

"Senpai…" tears began to form in his eyes. "Save me―!" Ryoma's piercing cry ran through the air making the other members run to the court he was on.

"Snap out of it. Nothing's going to hurt you. It's just a flashback…it's just like a nightmare. You have to realize what's going on. You have to fight it. Do it for me," Fuji's grip grew tighter around Ryoma.

Ryoma's tears turned into sobbing as he pulled his arm up and touched Fuji's hands. His shaking started to stop. "Fuji-senpai…"

"It's going to be ok."

"I can't…stop…"

Oishi put his hand on Fuji's shoulder. "Bring Echizen to the clubhouse. I think he should stop for today."

"Ok," Fuji stood up and pulled the younger boy along with him. Without another word, the two of them left the courts.

"Will he be ok?" Eiji questioned the vice-captain.

"Fuji will take care of him," a sincere smile formed on the boy's face. "We'll leave Echizen's care in his hands from now on."

"Are you sure about that?"

"It's fine," Tezuka reassure the boy.

"I don't think that's such a great idea. Fuji-senpai sure does like to touch Echizen a lot," Momoshiro pointed out.

Tezuka turned and began to walk away to hide the light red shade that crossed his face. "That doesn't concern you."

"It's not like you haven't touch him before," Kaidoh folded his arms.

"He and Kikumaru seem to hug Echizen more that Fuji has ever. They defiantly shouldn't be the ones to say those types of things," Inui agreed.

"Hey! That's different!" Eiji, being the childish person he is, stuck out his tongue. "I hug Ochibi because I'm excited about things. Fuji hugs him because…well…"

"I think that's enough," Oishi stood between the two. "Lets continue with practice."

"Right!" everyone yelled as they went back to the things they were doing before.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Echizen started to change out of his tennis outfit.

"Don't be sorry," Fuji softly smiled.

"I acted like…a…baby," he pulled on his school uniform.

"I understand."

"I…"

"You don't have to say anymore."

"You're very caring…Fuji-senpai."

"I care about everyone on the tennis team."

"Why were you sorry?"

"I thought I told you that it wasn't important."

"You wouldn't have wrote it…if it wasn't important."

"You were so broken that day when I came to visit you. I wish I could have done more to help you, but I could only watch you break down."

"Fuji-senpai…"

"Hmmm?" he looked towards the younger boy.

"Why do you care so much…about me?"

"I told you, I care about everyone on the tennis team."

Ryoma pulled his bag over his shoulder. "I don't know…I feel like you treat me…um…differently…"

"Don't worry about that right now," Fuji made his way to the door. "Everything will be explained later. I promise."

"Ok…"

"I'll walk you home."

"Thank you…"

The two of them walked out of the clubhouse together. They made their way to Echizen's house where Fuji smiled and watched him go inside. Afterwards, Fuji took his time going home himself. He wanted to soak up everything that happened during the day before he got home.

**NOTE:**** As I continue to write more chapters for this fic, I feel the ending coming sooner and sooner. I enjoy writing this fic so much…I don't want to end it! Of course, I know I will have to sooner or later.**

**I annoy myself though. I really don't like how I spell it "Kaidoh". I don't know why. I've always spelled it like that, so I haven't been able to stop spelling it that way. Oh well. **

**Anyways, thank you for continuing to read this fic. It really does mean a lot to me. Umm…yes…thank you~!**

**Oh, this will be the last update more than likely until next week. I'm going to the anime convention that's close to where I live, and I won't have time to write during those three days. Well, maybe the last day of the convention. I'm not sure. I will probably be overly tired. I'm sorry about that. I hope everyone will be able to wait~!**


	14. Chapter 13

The school week had slowly gone by. Fuji continued to work with Ryoma. As he did, the other Regulars began to talk about the two. They wondered when Fuji would tell Ryoma the feelings he had and questioned what his reaction would be. As the school week grew to an end, Ryoma invited Fuji over to continue helping him over the weekend. Fuji didn't dare to reject the invite, so he found himself knocking on the Echizen's residence on Saturday morning.

* * *

"Hey, it's you again," Nanjiro pointed at the boy when he opened the door.

"Good morning, Echizen-san," Fuji bowed.

"Ryoma said you were coming over. He's out back."

"Thank you," Fuji began to turn around and leave but was stopped.

"He used to talk about the tennis team all the time. He told me that he enjoyed playing against his senpai. I asked him if he had a favorite person on the team to play against. Do you know what he answered?"

"Tezuka," he quickly replied.

Nanjiro made a noise as if he was trying to mimic a buzzer. "No, he told me it was someone named Fuji. I didn't know who he was talking about at first, but he explained that this Fuji kid was a very strong player and never shows his true potential. I've never heard him talk about someone so highly. I knew that he must really respect this person. Soon, he began to talk about him more and more, and it seemed that the way he spoke about Fuji was different. He stopped talking just about his tennis skills…he began to say things about Fuji's smile and the way he was so calm. Ryoma didn't notice this, but it was easy to tell that his respect for his senpai was changing into something else. Of course, that was all before his accident."

"Changing into something else," Fuji repeated the older man.

"Well, Ryoma's not smart enough to understand those types of things, so," Nanjiro pushed Fuji out the door. "Be a good senpai and teach him."

"But―" before Fuji could get anymore out, the door was closed in his face. Letting out a sigh, he made his way to the back of the house.

* * *

In the court in the backyard, Ryoma sat on the ground twirling his racket. When he heard footsteps, he quickly looked up and stopped what he was doing.

"You made it."

"You say that like you weren't expecting me to come," Fuji smiled.

The younger boy stood up. "It's not that. I invited you and you accepted the invitation. Of course I knew you were coming."

He giggled at the remark Ryoma made. It seemed like he was slowly becoming himself again…attitude and all.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. What would you like to start with today?" Fuji questioned.

"Lets have a match," Ryoma suggested.

"You're not ready yet."

"You don't think so?"

"I know you're not."

"You can't know that."

"I can."

"It'll just be one match."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I already told you, you're not ready yet."

"Will I ever be ready?"

"It'll take some time."

"Fuji-senpai," Ryoma mumbled. He let his racket slip from his hand. "It's taking too long."

"I know…"

"I don't understand you, senpai."

Fuji walked over to Ryoma and picked up his racket. "Lets start practicing."

"I don't remember everything. A lot of things are really blurry. For some reason, the memories of you aren't blurry at all. You visited me the most while I was in the hospital, didn't you?"

"I visited you a few times."

"More than the others?"

"I'm not sure. Why are you asking all of this all of a sudden? It's really not that important. Lets practice."

"I don't want to practice until I understand you. You said that everything would be explained one day…well…I want that one day to be today," there was a sternness in Ryoma's voice.

"I just care about my teammates."

"It's different."

"No."

"Fuji-senpai…you were the one who was there when I started to wake up, right? You were the one who continued to stay by my side, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"Well, Kikumaru-senpai said that you were always coming to the hospital. He told me that you seemed very worried about me."

"You're my teammate."

"I know that, but it doesn't explain why you took the time to come visit me. It doesn't explain why you'd continue to help me practice when you know I'm not progressing."

"…Ryoma…"

"I don't understand you," the younger boy pulled his hands up to cover his face. "I don't understand what's going on."

"I think it's best that I leave now," Fuji turned away. "Maybe someone else should help you practice. It seems that I'm only making things worse."

"That's not true!"

"Then, why are you crying?"

"I…I don't know…"

"There are things that are better if you figure them out on your own. When you are able to figure them out, I'll be waiting. Ok?"

"Senpai?"

"I'll see you at practice," not allowing Ryoma to respond, Fuji left.

"I'll do if…for you, Fuji-senpai. I will become stronger and gain the skills I used to have," he wiped away his tears and picked up his racket that Fuji had left behind. "Please, continue to watch over me…"

**NOTE:**** I am very sorry it took me so long to write a new chapter. It was crazy at my anime convention, and I have been way too tired to write. I have been trying to get videos from the Prince of Tennis panel up on my Youtube channel (I'll put the links up on my profile if you'd like to see the videos.). It was so much fun though. I even tried Penal Tea. Yeah…Inui Juice isn't all that bad. Haha~! I'll try to continue to write new chapters (but…I'm getting sick…and when I'm sick, I don't like doing anything other than lying around…). Oh, I'll also put the link to the pictures I took at the PoT photoshoot when I edit those and get it up. I bought a lot of Prince of Tennis things too…but I couldn't find anything with Rokkaku on it. I was mad because I wanted to get something with Saeki on it. It's ok, I'm content with the things I got.**

**Anyways, I'm rambling on about that when I wanted to say other things. Um…I don't remember what I really wanted to say. Well, I'll just say that I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and support. I'll continue on writing this fic to make it the best I can~!**


	15. Chapter 14

Another week had gone by. Out on the courts, the tennis team practiced like always. Ryoma swung his racket. His grip was stronger and he seemed to be getting back to a level where he might actually be able to play a match. Of course, everyone knew that it would have to be an easy match against a first year or someone that wasn't very skilled. Fuji began to hit balls towards Ryoma. Swinging forward his racket, he would make contact with the ball. The balls never went very far, but at least he could hit them now.

"He's getting better," Oishi smiled.

"Echizen still isn't even close to the level he used to be at," Tezuka remarked and looked around and saw the Regualrs just standing around. "Why aren't you practicing? Go run 10 laps!"

"Tezuka, just admit it, you're just as worried about him."

"You too, Oishi; run laps."

"Right," he shook his head and caught up to the other Regulars.

* * *

"Why doesn't Echizen and Fuji-senpai have to run?" Momo whined as the group ran past a corner.

"It's because Tezuka wants Echizen to get back to his high skill level," Inui said as he began to pass the younger boy.

"I heard that they got in an argument…Fuji and Echizen," Kawamura told them.

"It wasn't an argument," Eiji smiled.

"Oh, did Fuji tell you what happened?" Inui wondered.

"Well, I don't know if I should really be telling you guys this…"

Oishi stopped running. He had noticed that Tezuka had left the courts. "As long as they're still getting along, that's all that matters…right?"

"Oishi-senpai," Kaidoh also stopped. "It seems like you know something too."

"Not really," Oishi looked away. "I had gone to the hospital once by myself. It was about two days after Echizen had woken up. He was resting at the time…but I did end up talking to the doctor."

"What did the doctor say?" Momo demanded. Now, everyone had stopped running to listen to their vice-captain.

"It's not really important."

"Come on, Oishi! Tell us," Eiji pulled on the boy's arm.

"Echizen has been having flashbacks. That's what happened last week on the court. When I was talking to the doctor, he said things like Echizen might have flashbacks…he may be emotionally detached and jumpy."

"He has been staying away from everyone other than Fuji," Kawamura let a concerned look form on his face.

"That's probably because he feels comfortable around Fuji-senpai," Momo decided.

"But…Fuji thinks differently. He thinks that he's only making Ochibi worse," Eiji bit his lower lip.

"Echizen's too young to realize Fuji-senpai's feelings," Kaidoh folded his arms. "Even if he was older, he probably wouldn't realize it."

Inui nodded and fixed his glasses. "Fuji also needs to realize that if it wasn't for him, Echizen probably wouldn't have gotten the help he needed. The kindness Fuji is showing to Echizen is what's making him grow."

Tezuka walked up to the group. "Yes, Fuji is strength Echizen needs to keep going."

"Tezuka!" Oishi jumped back along with the rest of the Regulars.

"Quit slacking off and get running," he told them and went back towards the courts.

"I think it just got a bit chilly," Eiji giggled as they began to run again.

"Yeah, but I think he makes a good point," Oishi smiled.

* * *

On the courts, Fuji continued to lightly toss tennis balls towards Ryoma. As the balls came towards him, he hit them with the racket. When he hit the next ball back at Fuji, Ryoma rested his racket on his shoulder.

"I think…I figured it out…" Ryoma began to walk closer to the older boy.

"Hmm?" Fuji tilted his head to the left. "What do you mean?"

"Fuji-senpai, it's love, right?" he smirked.

"…Ryoma!" quickly, Fuji flashed opened his blue eyes. "What do you think is love?"

"It's the reason why you care about me so much…and it's why the memories of you stick out more than anything else. Right?"

"I guess you can say that."

"So, you love me, right, senpai?"

"That's right."

"And I love you."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I think so…" Ryoma looked at the ground. "Things still confuse me. It's probably because I'm only 12. I want to learn more and become the best. Fuji-senpai, I think I need your support. I don't know if I can grow stronger on my own. Please, continue to watch over me. If you do, maybe I can―"

Fuji pulled Ryoma into his arms. He wouldn't even let the younger boy finish talking. "I'll always watch over you. Even if you realize that you don't actually love me back, I will continue to be here for you."

"Thank you…senpai…" Ryoma mumbled into Fuji's chest.

"You can call me Syusuke if you'd like to."

"Syusuke-senpai."

The normal smile formed on Fuji's face. As he let go of Ryoma, he brushed his hand against the younger boy's cheek making him blush. Seeing the red shade across his face, he knew that Ryoma was right. Ryoma did have feelings that were more than friendship for Fuji. He was still young, but it could, one day, grow into love. Just knowing that they shared each other's feelings made Fuji happy.

**NOTE:**** Ryoma figured it out~! Yay! Ah, but it's sad at the same time for me. This fic will soon grow to its end. I feel it drawing closer. It's ok though. After I'm finished with this fic, I will be starting another FujiXRyoma fic. Of course, there will be a different story line and everything. I hope that once I get the first chapter up, everyone who reads this fic will at least look to see if my new one will interest them. I might even put it out before I'm finished with this one.**

**Anyways, I hope everyone will continue to read this fic. There will only be a few more chapters until it's finished. Please, stay with me until the very end. There are still things left to be said in this fic. Don't think that it's done just because Ryoma realized Fuji's feelings!**

**Oh, and sorry that it took me a few extra days to get this chapter up. I'm currently working on making a website…and I kind of forgot about my fics. I hope you'll forgive me~!**

**Thank you so much for reading~!**


	16. Chapter 15

**(The Fallen Prince: Now with a dash of romance…erm…fluff?)**

A few weeks had gone by since Ryoma had figured out Fuji's feelings. Though they both felt they same way, they didn't officially announce being a couple or anything. They only showed their affection for each other by holding hands, and every once in awhile Fuji would give the younger boy a hug. There actually wasn't much of a relationship at all between them.

* * *

"Weeks have already passed! Why haven't they gotten into a real relationship yet?" Eiji complained. He watched Ryoma and Fuji practicing.

"Eiji-senpai, shouldn't you be more worried about practice?" Momoshiro bounced the tennis ball he had in his hand on the ground.

"No! They should be all over each other!"

"What? But Echizen is only 12."

"Fuji probably doesn't want to move things too fast. He probably thinks that Echizen is too young to even be in a relationship," Inui told the two of them. He opened his notebook and began to look things over.

"Well, they could at least go out on a date or something," Eiji spun his racket around his wrist. "Or is Ochibi too young for that too?"

* * *

"They're staring…again," Ryoma softly tapped the tennis ball back towards Fuji.

Fuji caught the ball. "Don't mind, Ryoma."

"They've been like since…uh…" he shook his head trying to remember the date. No one had noticed at first, but Ryoma was having a hard time remembering certain things since the accident.

"It's just Eiji. He's just a little angry."

"Why would Kikumaru-senpai be angry?"

"Because even though I admitted to the way I feel about you, our relationship hasn't developed any."

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"Huh?" Fuji was shocked by the question. "Not at all. What makes you think that?"

"What do people usually do as a couple, Syusuke-senpai?"

"They hold hands, hug, go out on dates, kiss…things like that."

"Are you going to kiss me?" there was an innocent tone to Ryoma's voice.

Fuji placed his hand on top of the younger boy's head. "You're too young."

"Oh," he played with his racket for a minute. "Am I getting any better at tennis? Am I starting to play like I used to?"

"Yes. You're getting much better."

"Look me in the eyes and say that," Ryoma almost demanded.

"Ok," Fuji bent down so he was at Ryoma's level. "You're ge―"

The younger boy leaned forward letting their lips touch. When he pulled away, he blushed and seemed shocked that he actually went through with his plan.

"Ryoma…"

"Sorry, senpai, I didn't want to wait until I was old enough," pulling a tennis ball from his pocket, he bounced it a few times and threw it into the air. He quickly hit it with his racket in his right hand. The ball hit the ground and twisted up.

"Twist serve," Fuji was the one that was now shocked. "Ryoma, you hit it perfectly."

"Syusuke-senpai…I…" Ryoma wiped the tears that started form from his happiness. "I did it."

"I told you that you were getting better," a smile appeared on the older boy's face. "You're going to get back to your normal level in no time."

Dropping his racket, Ryoma pulled his arms around Fuji's waist. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything."

"If it wasn't for you…I would have…given up…"

"I told you, I'll always be here for you."

"If I can hit another perfect twist serve, you have to take me on a date," Ryoma mumbled into Fuji's chest.

"What?" Fuji quickly pulled away.

"Another perfect twist serve equals you taking me out on a date."

The older boy pulled his hand through his hair. "Fine."

Again, Ryoma took a tennis ball and bounced it on the ground. Throwing it up in the air, he reached back with his racket it in his right hand. As the ball made contact with the racket, it flew across the court towards Eiji. When it hit the ground, it twisted up and hit the boy in the back of the head.

"Hey!" Eiji yelled as he turned around. He rubbed the back of the head.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma pointed the racket at his senpai.

"Ochibi?"

"Don't be angry at Syusuke-senpai anymore. We're going on a date. Ok?"

A quirky smile painted Eiji's face. "It's about time."

"Just remember, Eiji," Fuji stood behind Ryoma and pulled him closer, "Ryoma is all mine."

"Right, right," he turned back to the others. "Fuji can be so scary~!"

"We don't have school this Saturday, so I'll pick you up around 11. We'll go have lunch," Fuji hugged Ryoma with his right arm.

"Once I can do Drive B, you have to promise you'll kiss me once a week," Ryoma's cockiness started to come back. "Then, once I start playing like I used to, you have to take me out on dates whenever we have free time."

"It's a deal," he nodded. He couldn't reject the offers. Ryoma would get better at tennis, and Fuji would be able to spend time with Ryoma. The kisses would just be an added bonus.

**NOTE:**** "They should be all over each other!" Yes, Eiji, they should be all over each other even though Ryoma is only 12 and Fuji is 14. Eiji, Eiji, Eiji, you even make me wonder sometimes.**

**Yay! Ryoma can do his twist serve…and he's going to go on a date with Fuji. Their relationship is developing! You know…I say these things like they surprise me. I am the person writing this after all...I shouldn't get so excited about this. Haha~!**

**Can you guys tell? This fic is starting to come to its end. Though, as I mentioned at the end of the last chapter, I will start a new FujiXRyoma fic after this one is over.**

**Please, continue to read until the very end. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and everything else you do~!**


	17. Chapter 16

Ryoma sat on his bed with Karupin in his lap. He softly petted the cat making her purr. Staring at the clock, he watched the minutes tick by. There was still a half an hour to wait until Fuji would get there. The length of time left made Ryoma question himself. Why did he wake up so early knowing it would only take him a few minutes to get ready? Why was he growing impatient as he watched the clock? Why did he have an urge to fix his hair and change the clothes he was wearing? Being only a child, he didn't know the answers to any of the questions.

* * *

"Ryoma! Your friend is here!" Nanjiro called up to the boy's room.

Ryoma slowly made his way down the stairs. He sported his normal white cap along with a polo shirt and shorts.

"Good morning, Ryoma," Fuji smiled.

"Morning," Ryoma turned to his father. "I'll be back later."

"Hold on, Ryoma. Where are you two going?" Nanjiro questioned.

"Out."

"Where?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

The younger boy pulled his arm up and pointed out the open door. "Out there."

"I'm taking him out on a date like I promised," Fuji placed his right hand on Ryoma's left shoulder. "Ryoma was able to hit his twist serve twice, so I agreed to going out on a date with him."

"Oh, a date. You two have a fun time," Nanjiro pushed the two out the door and closed it. "My little Ryoma is growing up."

"He's annoying," Ryoma mumbled as he stared at the door.

"Don't worry about that, Ryoma," Fuji took Ryoma's hand in his. "Lets just have a good time together."

"Right, Syusuke-senpai," he followed Fuji as he made his way away from the house and towards a restaurant.

* * *

The two of them walked into the small restaurant and sat down across from each other. Looking through the menu, Ryoma was shocked by the prices. He placed his hand in his pocket and noticed that he only hand a few hundred yen.

"Syusuke-senpai, don't you think this place is a bit much?" Ryoma wondered.

"It's my treat. Don't worry about the prices; I've got it covered," Fuji began to hum as he continued to read through the menu.

"Ok…"

The older put the menu down. "What's wrong, Ryoma?"

"It's nothing."

"If you're feeling faint or anything, make sure you tell me."

Ryoma looked away from the table. "My heart is pounding and my head is racing. I don't know what it means."

"Hmm?"

"I've noticed that it's been like that lately…but only when I'm with you. I must be sick or something."

"You're not sick," Fuji tried to hold in his laughter. He was amazed by how oblivious Ryoma was.

"Then what's wrong with me, senpai?"

"Ryoma, I love you."

"Senpai! I…umm…" Ryoma became flustered trying to find the right words. His cheeks began to change to a light shade of red. "Is that why my heart beats so rapidly? Because I love you?"

Fuji leaned over the table and brushed his hand against Ryoma's cheek. Lightly, he pressed his lips against the same cheek. "I believe so."

"Syusuke-senpai, I'd rather go some place that's not so fancy," he bluntly said. The kiss he received didn't even faze him.

"Ok. How about I go buy you Ponta and then we find a ramen shop or something?" Fuji suggested.

The younger boy nodded. "I'd like that much better than this."

* * *

The two of them left the restaurant. Finding a soda machine, Fuji bought Ponta for Ryoma. Walking down the sidewalk, they found a small stand selling ramen. Stopping, they bought their food and ate. After eating, they continued to walk for a little bit. They had spent hours just walking and talking about things of the past. Fuji brought up their practice match, and Ryoma said how they needed to finish that once he was back at his normal level. They talked about Eiji and how he always wants to know what's going on in their relationship. The topic of Ryoma's accident even came up. Ryoma told Fuji that he was trying to forget about the little he did remember. He thought it was best to hide from the memories. Of course, Fuji knew that if Ryoma continued to hide from the memories, they will come back and hit the younger boy hard. Just the thought worried Fuji. Though, explaining that would have to wait until a different date. It was getting late, and it was best to get Ryoma home before it got any later. When Fuji dropped the boy off, he gave him a hug and said he would see him at school. As they parted, they both smiled and hoped for Monday to come quickly.

**NOTE:**** And there was their first date. I could have written this better than I did, but, to be completely honest, I'm not overly in a writing mood. I knew it's been awhile since I've updated, so I did my best to update. Maybe I should have waited…I'm not sure. Wait, I don't know what I'm talking about. What more does a date need? Fuji, Ryoma, and Ponta...it doesn't get better than that! (Lies...it's all lies~!)**

**Anyways, sorry that it did take me a good bit of time to update. My schedule is all messed up, and I can't figure out how that happened. I know at one point I was busy trying to make a website (that I stopped working on because my laptop kept freezing). Now, I'm often distracted by my Nintendo DS…but I don't know what it was between those two things. Hmm…I'm just not that overly sure. Oh well~!**

**Also, I told you guys that I planned on making another fic after this one was finished. I couldn't wait! I now have a new fic out with the title "One Month Left". Yes, yes, it's a FujiXRyoma fic. Oh, and now that it's revealed that Fuji and Ryoma are starting to become more than friends, I can tell you something. When I first came up with this idea, it was originally going to be a fic between Eiji and Ryoma. I decided that I wanted it to be Fuji instead because Eiji would have probably been a little too dramatic for my taste. Instead, Eiji ended up being that weird side character that makes random comments and is just there…randomly. I like it better with Fuji and Ryoma. I don't know…Fuji is just able to handle things differently.**

**Thank you for continuing to read this fic. It means a lot. I hope everyone will continue to read this fic until the very end (I say that every chapter…don't I?). Thank you~!**


	18. Chapter 17

* * *

A week had passed since Fuji and Ryoma went on their date. They went back to focusing on getting Ryoma's skill level back up. No one asked how things went or what they did. Even Eiji, the one who wanted them to go out in the first place, didn't even question things. It was as if the event never happened.

* * *

"Lets start with 5 laps around the courts today," Tezuka decided. He looked up at the forming clouds. "We'll then do some practice matches."

"Right!" everyone called as they began to run.

The captain turned to the court where Fuji and Ryoma practiced. "You two are going to participate today too. Start running."

Without saying a word, the two boys tried to catch up with the others. Ryoma's pace wasn't as fast as it used to be, but it could be seen that he was trying his hardest.

"These clouds…it's going to start raining soon," Oishi stared up at the sky.

"We should run too," Tezuka ignored what Oishi had said and lightly jogged towards the fence.

"Ah, right," a concern look formed on Oishi's face. He knew that the captain was up to something.

* * *

After the five laps, everyone grouped around the captain and vice-captain. Oishi watched Tezuka as he looked at all the regulars.

"The freshman can practice in one court in the back," Tezuka pointed to the right corner. "Anyone who's not a regular can play against who they please. They'll have the empty courts in the front. As for the Regulars, you guys stay here. I will pair everyone up."

Those who weren't Regulars went to practice. They quickly began their matches.

"Inui versus Kikumaru, Oishi versus Kaidoh, Momoshiro versus Kawamura, and Fuji versus Echizen."

"What?" Oishi turned to Tezuka. "Echizen is still recovering. He shouldn't be placed in these matches."

"He hasn't had a match in awhile. It's best to see where his skills are as of right now. Fuji is the one that has been working with him, so he'll be able to play at the level that seems the best," Tezuka looked at Fuji and Echizen. "Do either of you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," Fuji smiled. "I think he's ready for a match against me."

Ryoma nodded and pulled at his hat. "Just remember our deal, senpai…and you better not go easy on me."

"We'll start with Fuji versus Echizen then. Echizen will have the first serve," Tezuka decided.

* * *

Fuji and Echizen walked over to the empty court. Ryoma held his racket in his right hand and began to bounce the tennis ball. Tossing it up in the air, the ball made contact racket. Going across the court, the ball hit the ground. When it bounced up, it twisted towards Fuji's face.

"No way," Fuji quickly jumped back. The ball flew past him. "That was fast."

"I told you, Syusuke-senpai, don't hold back," Ryoma served once again.

This time, Fuji was able to react to the twist serve. He hit the ball back to the other side of the court. Ryoma, not giving into Fuji's shots, ran to get to the ball. The two went back and forth hitting the ball. Neither of them were giving into the other's skill.

"Ochibi! He looks like he's almost better than he was before the accident," Eiji was shocked at the power the younger boy was showing.

"40-30! This is it, Echizen!" Momoshiro cheered for his friend. "Just one more point and you beat Fuji-senpai."

Oishi watched Ryoma hit the ball. He could tell that he was starting to feel the pain of over doing it. "Tezuka, Echizen is―"

"I know," Tezuka was also paying close attention to what was going on. "We have to let him continue. Only Echizen can stop himself."

Ryoma skidded across the ground. As he jumped up, he hit the tennis ball. It bounced on Fuji's side of the court in what looked like a B shape. Fuji couldn't get to the ball in time. Ryoma had just barely won the game with that shot.

"You did it, Ryoma," Fuji softly giggled. "You've done an amazing job at recovering."

"I did…" Ryoma dropped to his knees. His whole body began to twitch as tears fell down his cheeks. "I…thank you…" Ryoma toppled over on his side.

"Ryoma!" Fuji jumped over the net and sat by his side. "Are you ok?"

"Tired…"

"Good job, Ochibi!" Eiji, along with the others, gathered by the two.

"You did it, Echizen."

"That was amazing!"

"You won."

Tezuka stared down at the younger boy. "Welcome back, Echizen."

"Does this mean I can still be a Regular?" Ryoma's breathing was heavy.

"Things wouldn't be the same if you weren't, Echizen," squatting down, Oishi handed Ryoma a water bottle. "You've strained your body a lot with this match, but I know you'll continue to grow as a tennis player."

"Thank you, senpai," Ryoma sipped at the water. He sat up then turned to look at Fuji. "Hey, I beat you and did Drive B. You know what that means, right?"

Fuji pressed his lips against Ryoma's cheek. "Of course, Ryoma."

Echizen stared at the Regulars. A childish smile formed on his face. "I love Syusuke-senpai, so please keep your hands off him."

The group began to laugh. Even Tezuka had to turn away to make sure no one saw the small smile that formed on his face.

"Ryoma, lets keep growing stronger together," Fuji opened his icy blue eyes. "And, as we're growing stronger together…our love will grow as well."

The younger boy nodded. "Only with you."

"I wouldn't want it to be with anyone else," softly, the older boy pulled Ryoma into his arms. "I love you."

"…I love you too…"

* * *

When Echizen Ryoma was hit by a car, no one ever thought he would be the same. After coming out of a coma, his speech was poor, his thoughts were tangled, and he couldn't function right. To add to the chaos, he was even having flashbacks. As his speech became better, he was able to go back to school. Though, he was scared that he wouldn't be able to play tennis again. It was something everybody feared. With the help of Fuji Syusuke, Ryoma slowly began to get better and better at tennis again. There was a spark between them that grew bigger and bigger. That spark became a fire that burned brightly. They both shared similar feelings for each other. When Ryoma had realized the truth, their relationship began to grow. In the end, Fuji had made Ryoma stronger. Without Fuji's help, Ryoma would have given up on tennis. The thought of not having tennis was painful, but he kept pushing himself harder and harder. Now, Ryoma had gained his skills back. He felt that it was Fuji's love that helped him cross the limits he had and win. Together, they would grow. Together, they didn't have anything to fear. Together, they would be forever.

_FINISHED._

**NOTE:**** It's…over. That was the end. That's it. There's no more chapters. This fic is complete. Thank you to everyone who continued to read this fic from the beginning. It makes me sad to see that this is the last chapter, but I knew it would one day have to end. It took almost two months to finish. From the time I began this fic to the very end, I felt a connection to it. Yes, this is a fic that is close to my heart. I hope that I could make someone feel something through this fic. If I can know that I've accomplished that, I won't feel as sad about ending this fic. "The Fallen Prince" was a challenging story to write. I hope that I grew as a writer. I hope that people have liked it. It was painful at points to write. When Fuji was hurting, I was too. When Ryoma wasn't able to form sentences, I was sad for him. Maybe I get too emotionally attached to my stories. I'm not sure.**

**The ending paragraph was hard for me to write. I was going to end it with Ryoma's "I love you, too", but it felt incomplete leaving it like that. Ryoma now has the ability to play tennis again. I wanted to make this ending perfect, but I don't think I did. Of course, nothing is ever perfect. To be honest, when I wrote this last chapter, it was like when I watched Dream Live 3****rd**** (If you don't know about the musicals, you might not understand what I'm talking about.). As Dream Live 3****rd**** came closer and closer to the end, I just didn't want it to stop. I wanted it to continue to go on forever. I didn't want to see everyone graduate just like I didn't want to see this story "graduate". What I mean is, I didn't want to see this fic end. It's now over, there for I will no longer work on it. It will just sit on my laptop. It's ok though. I will continue to work on my other fics. Though, I don't think I will ever feel a connection with them as I did with this one. Just as Ryoma continues to grow as a tennis player, I hope that I will grow as a writer.**

**I know that I tend to leave open endings where there's a chance for a sequel. This fic will not have a sequel. This is because I know that if a sequel is made, it would just kill this story. I'm sorry. I hope that this will be enough for everyone. I hope that you'll read my other fics. They might not end up as good as this one, but I will try to bring the best fics I can.**

**Thank you for reading until the very end. I hope that this story was worth the time it took for you to read it. I would love to know everyone's thoughts about this final chapter and the fic as a whole. Was it good? Was it bad? Please, continue to support me. All the reviews I've gotten have made me so happy. This fic has become my most popular story thus far on here. I thank you for that. It has been a wonderful trip through this fic. Thank you so much for everything~! **


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